


Royal Blue

by Araesson



Category: Final Fantasy XV, RWBY
Genre: And you know what that means kids, Bisexual Prompto, Epic Bromance, F/F, F/M, Female Noctis, Female Prompto, Promptia only wins arguments against Noct in her head, Slow Burn, Team Mom Ignis, The Author Regrets Nothing, The RWBY FFXV crossover no one wanted but everyone needed, Volume 2 (RWBY), Volume 3 (RWBY)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-12
Updated: 2017-05-27
Packaged: 2018-10-31 03:42:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10890960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Araesson/pseuds/Araesson
Summary: The Vytal Festival: a chance for people from all kingdoms to come together and foster better relationships in order to uphold the façade of peace in the world. The small and often forgotten kingdom of Lucis takes the chance to gain allies from the more powerful kingdoms by sending their best and brightest youth to showcase at the tournament and speak with the leaders of the other countries that attend.Well... best and brightest may seem to make them out like more than they are. They are talented, yes, but in the end they are young. A trip made by a young, rebellious Princess soon to be married and her three closest friends to foreign lands promises... well, you'll just have to find out, won't you?





	1. Dandelion

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own either Final Fantasy 15 or RWBY. Just to make sure that's understood.

“Woah, this is so different from Insomnia. Look at all of the decorations! And balloons! I love balloons!” that was Promptia, wide eyes and beaming smile, her chocobo-fluff hair sticking up at odd angles due to the sea breeze. She was looking around the city in childlike wonder as the group of four made their way from the docks.

“Well, Vale is certainly a touch more… lively than home.” the cool reply came from Ignis, his arms crossed as he surveyed their surroundings, seemingly unimpressed by Vale’s attempt to appear welcoming to the newcomers from the four other kingdoms.

Noctis felt slightly sick, looking at all of the nauseatingly bright colors and excessive decorations for the Vytal Festival through sleep-addled eyes. “It’s way too early in the morning for all this. Everything’s so bright.”  

“What, are the bright colors too much for  your delicate eyes, Princess?” teased Gladio, leaning over to shove his friend to the side. Noctis smiled, regaining her footing to lightly punch Gladio’s arm. “We aren’t staying very long, just until the Tournament is over. Once we kick some ass we can go back to our dark vampire city and you can go get hitched.”

Noctis groaned, “Ugh, don’t remind me.”

“I _hope_ all of you will remember that we aren’t just here to show off our martial prowess. We were sent to improve relations with the other kingdoms, as you know. I trust none of you will do anything to jeopardize that goal.” Ignis said, looking at each of them until they chose to break eye contact.

“Yeah, but we can still kick ass, right?” Promptia asked, bouncing on her toes. While the other three looked slightly out-of-place in this new (sickeningly cheery) environment, Promptia looked right at home. “We’ll leave all of that ambassador stuff to you, Iggy.”

“It’s probably for the best.” Ignis replied, “Goodness knows the three of you would manage to start wars with the four other kingdoms represented here. And that’s without trying. I shudder to think of the consequences were any of you to actually try for diplomacy.”

Noctis was quick to retort, “Surely I’m not that bad, Specs. I was trained in this just as much as you were.”

“I seem to recall a certain princess napping through said training, when she wasn’t otherwise occupied.” said Ignis.

Gladio smirked. “He’s got you there, highness. You never were much for any sort of training. Or any sort of social interaction to begin with.”

“Ha ha.” Noctis replied, raising a hand to shade her eyes from the sunlight, “Laugh it up.”

“So, this is great and all, but where are we supposed to be going?” Promptia asked, finally tired of looking at everything.

“I believe our first destination is Beacon Academy, where we are to report to the Headmaster.” Ignis answered automatically.

Gladio stretched out his arms, “His name was… Ozpin, right?”

“Man, I could go back to sleep.” Noctis punctuated the sentence with a yawn.

“Unfortunately, we still have much we have to get done today. And before you ask, yes, they all require your presence. Being royalty affords you a higher, more important status than the rest of us.” said Ignis.

Gladio added, “You may not act like it, but you are a Princess, even if you are a whiny one.”

“Hey, I’m not whiny!” under her friends stare, she eventually stuttered out a correction, “Okay, fine, I’m a bit whiny when I’m woken up early, but I’m not really that bad. Right, Ignis?”

“I suppose you’ve gotten… minutely better since our childhood.” Ignis said. Promptia and Gladio both began laughing as Noctis tried to find words to argue with her advisor and only managed to make a few unintelligible noises that were very unbecoming of the Princess of Lucis.

Promptia chuckled at Noctis’s inability to find words, commenting, “When Mama Ignis agrees that you’re whiny, you know that you can’t argue.”

“I-- Promptia! Aren’t you supposed to be on my side?” Noctis sputtered, finally able to form words again even if they weren’t entirely coherent.

The blonde girl shrugged, “I’m sorry, Noct, but they’re not wrong.”

“You are all traitors.” Noctis muttered under her breath, crossing her arms, “I thought you guys were supposed to be loyal to me or whatever.”

“We are, Noct. But our job is to guide you and serve you. So that means we are obligated to be honest when it comes to things like this.” Gladio replied. Noctis sighed, shaking her head in defeat. Sometimes, there was no use arguing when all three of them agreed on something, her being royal or not. Ignis and Gladio had known her much too long to really show proper respect (not that Noctis wanted them to in the first place, at least most of the time), and Promptia had always shown her plenty of disrespect, ever since they’d become friends in high school. It was just her way, and Noctis would honestly never change it.

“Hey, are you the kids from Lucis?” asked a feminine voice from behind them. The group turned to see another group about their age, the girl who’d spoken a fashionable brunette with sunglasses obscuring her eye color. Next to her was a boy with russet hair and unsettling white eyes, a petite girl with brown hair and rabbit’s ears, and a boy who towered over all of them but Gladio.

Noctis was the one who answered, “Yes. Why do you ask?”

“Ozpin asked us to escort you to Beacon to make sure you didn’t get lost on the way to the airships or anything.” the brunette with the shades said, “I’m Coco, by the way, leader of team CFVY. We’re upperclassmen in Beacon.”

Noctis shot a glance at Ignis, giving him a grin when Coco said their team name. He rolled his eyes at Noct, before they both returned their attention to the Beacon students.

“Well, uh, thanks. Lead on.” Noctis said, aware that she sounded awkward and not at all like the self-assured future monarch she was.

Ignis interrupted before they began to set off,“You’ll have to forgive her highness for her lack of manners, it has been a tiring journey. This is Princess Noctis Lucis Caelum. I am Ignis, and this is Gladio and Promptia.”

As they began walking, Noctis sent a smile to Ignis in thanks-- she could always rely on Ignis to catch her when she neglected her proper royal manners.

The brunette faunus walked closest to the four from Lucis, beginning to start a conversation and introducing herself as Velvet and the two boys as Yatsuhashi and Fox. Yatsuhashi seemed to be the quiet type, opting to stay beside Velvet like some sort of silent bodyguard. The two made a comical pair, their differing heights becoming very apparent. Fox kept plenty of space between himself and the others, preferring to remain silent.  

It didn’t take long for the group of eight to make it to the airships that would take them to Beacon. Coco got them tickets, and they quickly boarded. Before long, they’d arrived at the school-- a majestic affair with a pristine courtyard. It teemed with life, students from all four combat schools walking around the grounds. As it got closer to the tournament, more people would begin to arrive.

“So what is your headmaster like?” asked Gladio as they began making their way through the courtyard.

“Oh, he’s… pretty interesting, I guess, as far as Headmasters go. He’s a bit crazy, but I suppose that comes with the territory. Hunting dark monsters all your life and sending kids off to die young tends to have that effect on people.” Coco answered. “But he’s definitely a good man.”

Gladio nodded understanding.

“Well, I suppose we’ll find out when we meet the man, in any case.” Ignis commented as they entered the building. The air conditioning was a welcome change from the late summer heat outside. Coco led them to an elevator.

“The office is up on the top floor. I trust you can figure out an elevator on your own.” the brunette said, her and her team leaving them. The remaining four filed into the elevator, Promptia pressing the button for the top floor. On the way up, she began humming the chocobo song, to the instant dismay of her three companions, who recognized the tune immediately.

“What?” Promptia demanded, “It’s stuck in my head.”

Noctis grunted, “We’ve _noticed_ , Prom.”

The elevator dinged, signaling their arrival. The door slid open, revealing a circular office with huge windows. The Headmaster sat at a half-circle desk with gears running underneath. Gears were a common decoration in the mostly grey room. The sunlight shined in from above, where a huge blue-tinted glass could be seen through an expanse of turning gears. The man himself had grey hair and coffee colored eyes. He wore a black and green suit, a cup of what everyone assumed was coffee resting on the table beside him.

“Good morning. You are the team from Lucis, correct?” Headmaster Ozpin said, continuing when the group nodded assent, “Ah, Princess Noctis, is it? It’s a pleasure to meet you. And who might your companions be?”  

Noctis started, “Oh, sorry. Um, this is Ignis, Gladiolus, and Promptia. It’s nice to meet you, sir.”

The raven haired girl didn’t need to look at her friends to know that they were all hiding grins at her lack of social mannerisms. She nudged the nearest to her, Promptia, with her foot, and promised to get revenge on the others at a later date in her head.

“First: accommodations. This is a map of the school grounds. This building over here is where the guests from other schools are being housed-- your room is on the 3rd floor, room 313. Normally we’d display your team name upon the door, but as your country does not share the system the other kingdoms do, you would not have one. For the purposes of the tournament, you shall need one, but that can wait for now. All the dates that you shall need to know and other such paper-shuffling awaits you in your room.” Ozpin paused here, leaning back in his chair,”I recommend that the four of you exercise caution during your stay. The political climate is beginning to become… less than desireable between the kingdoms. I fear that soon-- well, I wouldn’t worry overmuch about it all. You four are young, with little need to stress over an old man’s pessimism.”

There was a strange light in the Headmaster’s eyes-- a weariness and a heavy weight of age upon his soul. He wore a sort of contemplative expression, the kind of a mind trying to delve into the future and predict an uncertain outcome. It was soon gone, as Ozpin sighed, sitting up a little straighter. The four young adults exchanged confused glances, seeking answers from each other. None had any answer to give aside from a shrug and a shake of the head.

“If you have any questions, any at all, feel free to contact me or any other staff member.” Ozpin said, taking a sip of coffee.

“Of course. Thank you, sir.” Noctis said, a little stiffly as she tried to keep some grace about her, “Is there anything else?”

Ozpin shook his head, “No, not right now. I suppose you must all be tired from your journey, and eager to explore all this new city has to offer. I wouldn’t want to keep you from getting into trouble, after all.”

“Uh… Aren’t you supposed to be encouraging us not to get into trouble…?” Promptia paused, looking to her friends, “Just me? Okay. That’s cool, too.”

The Headmaster smiled fondly, “Go on. I look forward to seeing what you shall do with your time here in Vale. I suspect the Kingdom of Lucis will no longer allow itself to go ignored by the world at large.”

The four bowed slightly, Promptia a little belatedly. With that, the three silently made their way to the elevator and departed for the ground floor, Ignis having grabbed the map that had been provided by Ozpin.

“So, does anyone else think that was really weird, or is it just me?” asked Promptia as soon as the elevator began to move.

Ignis replied at once, “Oh, without a doubt. There were several strange things about that encounter… and I have a few suspicions. Not all is as well as it seems in Vale. We may have decided to come at a most inopportune moment.”

“Yeah.” Gladio commented, “Something’s definitely not right.”

“He seemed really worried about something to me. And really tired… like beyond exhausted.” Promptia added quietly, almost unsure of herself.

Noctis nodded, taking on a thoughtful expression, “I suppose we’ll find out what that is all about while we are here. But I think he might be willing to help us with the other kingdoms, so that’s good.”

“But if there’s to be trouble on the horizon on the international scale, the other kingdoms will not want to risk themselves to help us fight back against Niflheim, if they know what the Headmaster seems to know. This is going to be more difficult than anticipated.” Ignis said as the elevator door opened, allowing them to exit and begin to make their way to their building.

“Do you think he’ll let us come up with our team name?” asked Promptia, seeming to let the previous worry and contemplation roll off her shoulders, “We could be something really awesome, like… like… like the Chocobros!”

The other three looked the the petite blonde with bemused expressions.

It was Gladio who spoke for them, “The Chocobros? What kind of stupid team name is that?”

“Hey, it’s not stupid!” Promptia yelped, “You’re just jealous of my originality. It’s decided: we are the Chocobros from now on.”

Ignis fought back a smile, “My apologies, but I do not seem to remember any of us agreeing to such a… ridiculous name for ourselves. Besides, I believe the Headmaster was planning to create one himself-- one that actually follows the conventional naming pattern for the combat schools of the four main kingdoms.”

Promptia’s pout was very pronounced, like a child denied a sweet. Noctis covered her grin with a hand, exchanging an amused glance with Gladio and Ignis.

“So what’s the rule then?” Gladio asked the other male as they drew their attention away from Promptia.

“Traditionally, the team names are created by combining the first initials of the members, starting with the leader, into a form that either spells out a word or could if you added another few letters in between. Normally the word will have something to do with a color, but there are some cases that can be different.” Ignis explained.

“So we’d start with ‘N’, for Noctis, cause the princess is probably the leader.” Promptia said, beginning to think. She began muttering words under her breath, attempting to find some way to combine their names into something appealing.

After a few moments, Promptia let out a frustrated huff, “I don’t know! That naming system is stupid! How am I supposed to make a cool word out of a N, a G, an I, and a P?”

“And I’m sure the Headmasters would love to hear your complaint.” Gladio said dryly, flicking the back of Promptia’s head. She yelped, ducking down and straightening her hair.

“TAG!” came a loud, overly-perky voice, “You’re it, Ren!”

The four Lucians turned at the voice, seeing a orange-haired girl fall from a tree beside a boy peacefully reading a book in the shade provided by the tree. The boy didn’t react for several long moments, almost as if he’d ignored the occurrence altogether.

Promptia laughed, turning to the others, “Guys, I’ve just realized-- we’ve _never_ played tag or anything together!”

“But that’s a game for kids.” Gladio remarked, “We’re all adults-- or, at least, _most_ of us are.”

“Hey!”

Noctis, however, appeared to be considering the idea, “I don’t know, it sounds fun. It would be just like old times, huh, Specs? Remember that pillow fort we made when dad went on that trip to-- oh, I forgot where.”

“Atlas, if I remember right.” Ignis commented. “It was a shame we couldn’t convince anyone to attempt to invade-- but, I suppose, they only recognized that our defenses were impassable and decided that they would rather save their energy for something a little more possible.”  

Promptia’s eyes went wide, “You guys made a pillow fort?! That’s so awesome! Man, we’ve _got_ to do that sometime during the trip! It’s like-- a requirement! And--”

Suddenly Promptia stopped dead in her tracks. The others stopped as well, looking to Promptia to answer their unspoken question. After several seconds of silence, Promptia’s gaze snapped to Ignis.

“Wait, did I hear that right? You _, Ignis,_ built a _pillow fort_ with Noct?! But you’re-- you’re so… you! Dignified and-- and adult-y!” Promptia yelled, her hands making wild motions in the air.

Ignis appeared highly amused by this reaction, “Yes, well I _was_ a child, once.”

Gladio sniggered, “Are you sure? I seem to remember a little mite of a thing walking around in a clean suit and carrying a notebook in his hands. You were never a child-- just a mini-adult.”

“Ignis was totally a little kid! We played all the time!” Noctis protested, “I remember this one time we went roller-skating through the citadel in the middle of the night and accidently broke that one creepy bust that he always said judged him whenever he walked by. Now that I think of it, you may not have run into that one on accident.”

Gladio and Promptia’s jaws dropped a little more with every word from the princess’s mouth as Noctis continued, “Oh! There was also that time we kicked the cooks out of the kitchen on royal order and made a lot of desserts for dad’s birthday! It was such a mess when we were done-- I had a little accident involving a blender and my cookies ended up a little burnt, but Ignis’s were all so good! Hey, and what about that prank we played on Cor and Clarus? We thought we were going to get in so much trouble when we got caught, but Ignis told them we were getting practice for covert missions we might undertake later-- because if we could sneak up on them, we could sneak up on _anyone!_ I’m not sure if they believed us but they laughed and we didn’t get in trouble so I didn’t question it too much. Ignis was always pretty good at getting us out of trouble.”

“I wouldn’t have had to so often if you hadn’t been so insistent upon getting us in trouble in the first place.” Ignis replied, “And I rather hoped you would keep these stories to yourself, highness, as they tend to undermine my reputation.”

Promptia and Gladio literally had no words, attempting to form some sort of response but failing to make any sort of coherent sound. Sometimes they forgot that Ignis and Noctis had grown up together and were very close, with how professional they tended to act (well, Ignis tended to act).

Noctis giggled, before saying, “You can try to act like you were dragged into all of that, but you had just as much fun as I did, Specs.”

“As your advisor, I could hardly let you indulge in these acts of idiocy unsupervised.” Ignis replied without missing a beat. The Princess’s giggles turned to full-out laughter as she slung an arm around Ignis’s shoulders, though the angle was slightly awkward as he was taller than her by a significant amount.

Gladio finally found his words again, managing to say, “Seriously, Iggy doing all of that with you? I could see any of that coming from you, but not Ignis. He was always a stickler for rules.”

The princess waved a hand in Gladio’s direction, “You just don’t know Iggy if you think that. He just likes everyone to think that so no one suspects him. It’s easier to take people by surprise that way, or to shift the blame to someone like… say, Promptia.”

“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean!” Promptia demanded. “I wouldn’t do any of-- okay, maybe I would, but Ignis wouldn’t try to blame me for something like that, because he wouldn’t do it in the first place, right?... Right?”

Ignis only smiled, his silence on the matter just as-- if not more-- telling than actual words.

“Well, if you don’t believe us, just ask your dad, Gladio. I’m sure he has plenty of horror stories about our childhood years.” Noctis said. “We were such little terrors.”

Ignis snorted, “ _You_ were a little terror, you mean. I was simply roped into every one of your mad schemes to ensure that none of them ended horribly wrong.”

“We made such a good team, huh, Specs?” Noct said fondly. Their childhood years had been quite fun, and it was always nice to remember them-- or, at least, the carefree moments she spent with Ignis. There were moments she’d like to forget, to, but this was no time to think of them, when the sun was shining and she was surrounded by friends and laughter.

“I suppose we made quite the efficient duo.” Ignis acknowledged. A grin promising trouble that she’d had since her youth grew on Noctis’s face with an infectious kind of ferocity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, so quick question. Does anyone know of a team name for our lovely Chocobros? I have an idea to fall back on but I was wondering if any of you had any ideas as far as team names go. That would be awesome, thanks.


	2. Vivid Tangerine

“Now that we’re all awake and settled in--” 

“No thanks to  _ you, _ ” Gladio interrupted, placing the last book they’d packed on the small bookshelf that came with the room. 

Promptia continued as if she hadn’t heard his comment, “What are we going to eat for breakfast? You guys made me skip dinner last night, so if we don’t eat soon I’m going to resort to cannibalism. Sorry, Gladio, but you’re out first. Noctis would taste like heavy metal angst--”

It was Ignis who interrupted this time, “Besides the fact that eating a Princess could be considered treason.” 

“Well, yeah, that too. And Ignis is the only one who can cook here so he can stay, because I’m going to want food later, too. Besides, Gladio would probably taste a lot better. He’s just got that look, you guys know what I’m talking about.” Promptia concluded. 

“If anyone’s getting eaten here, it’s you, shorty.” Gladio argued, arms crossed over his chest. “You wouldn’t be able to take me on if you tried.” 

Promptia shook her head, “I’d sneak attack you, you’d never see it coming! Besides, you’re my friend and friends let other friends eat them in the case of food shortage. It’s, like, in the Friend Handbook!”

“Promptia, I hope you realize that this ‘Friend Handbook’ of yours needs a bit of work.” said Noctis. “Anyway, so can we go back to the finding food part of the conversation-- and let’s not resort to cannibalism, please. It’s probably unhealthy or something-- and I’m pretty sure it’s illegal in Vale.”

“It’s a school, so they are bound to have some sort of cafeteria somewhere.” Gladio pointed out. Noctis and Promptia made nearly identical faces of disgust.

Noctis was the one to speak, “If it’s anything like the food at highschool, I’d rather starve to death. There was a reason I only ate it that once.” 

“There’s always cannibalism. I’m sure Ignis could find some way to make it taste good. We wouldn’t even realize we were eating someone!” Promptia commented.

“Can we please stop talking about cannibalism? You’re starting to make me question your sanity more than usual.” said Gladio. 

Ignis sighed, adjusting his glasses, “There is a cafeteria that will have to suffice for the morning, since I have no desire to starve or resort to cannibalism. We wouldn’t want to undermine our diplomatic mission when we’ve only just begun, would we?” 

At the dangerous light in the advisor’s eyes, Promptia nodded vigorously, “Yes, of course. That would be bad. So, let’s go find the cafeteria! And eat the food, not the people. Well, unless they serve people as meals, but they probably don’t. Then again-- you know what, I’m just going to shut up now.” 

Noctis snorted, “I wasn’t sure it was possible.” 

“Miracles do happen, I suppose.” Ignis commented, his tone as serious as ever. 

“I don’t constantly talk, guys!” Promptia protested.

Gladio was the one to say, “And you just proved their point.”

Promptia opened her mouth to argue, then closed it uselessly. She threw her hands up in the air, before throwing open to door and beginning to make her way down the hall. She had made a good deal of progress when she realized she had no clue where the cafeteria was. 

She turned back, “Uh, Ignis? Which way is the cafeteria?” 

Ignis led them to the cafeteria without mishap, the other three being too hungry to get up to their usual shenanigans that would have sidetracked them from their destination. None of them could recall a time in the recent where they’d ever managed to make it so quickly to a destination when all four of them were together. Soon they had gotten their meals and found seats at the long tables stretching the length of the cafeteria. The room itself was full of life as students from all four combat schools ate and chattered to one another-- and it was only getting more full as other students meandered in. 

“You know,” said Promptia through a mouthful of food, “This isn’t half-bad. I was expecting a lot worse, with the horror story that was high school lunches.” 

“Don’t talk with your mouth full.” Ignis remarked absently, before taking a sip of coffee. Just as he drew the cup away from his lips, something orange came flying towards him, knocking the cup from his hands and spilling the coffee all over his shirt. The other three stared speechless and Ignis stared at the stain for a moment, before slowly picking up the cup that had fallen in his lap, something alarming blazing in his eyes as they swept through the cafeteria, attempting to find the source of the projectile. 

It was then that they realized that a food fight was just beginning, several students already starting to run out of the room screaming as tables went flying with the food. Two factions appeared to be forming-- on one side, where the tables had piled by the vending machines, were two boys and two girls (the orange-haired girl had been playing tag the previous day, the group realized). The other side was four girls.

The orange-haired girl vaulted her way to the top of the pile of tables, her comrades taking their positions below her on the overturned vending machines as the group of four girls took position on the other side of the room. 

“Oh. My. Dust. A food fight!” Promptia squealed. “We have to join in! This is just too cool to skip out on!” 

Ignis stood up, slamming the empty coffee cup on the table, “This. Is  _ war.”  _

His coffee had been spilled-- he would not rest until he got revenge. It might not have been very good coffee, but that was hardly the point. This  _ childishness  _ had deprived him of caffeine when he would be stuck in a room with Noctis, Promptia, and Gladio for the foreseeable future, and there would be hell to pay.

Gladio grinned, “Sounds like fun.”

The last of the students left the hall screaming as the orange-haired girl began to sing, “Ha ha ha! I’m queen of the castle! I’m queen of the castle!”

A girl with a red cape stomped her foot, pointing to the other side, “Justice will be swift! Justice will be painful!” her fist clenched, spraying the milk in the carton she held, “It will be-- DELICIOUS!!” 

“Yeah!” came her three allies. 

“Off with their heads!” cried the ginger, jumping down from her tower of tables. She overturned a table of watermelon, her teammates throwing more of the same fruit against the other side. Promptia made to dart in, but Ignis pulled her back, drawing them to hide behind one of the remaining tables.

“Don’t. Not yet. We must watch and come up with a strategy while they haven’t noticed our presence.” said Ignis, appearing for all the world like he was about to begin a fight against a pack of Grimm. 

“Yang, turkey!” 

Promptia whined, “Seriously, Iggy? It’s a food fight! Do we have to?”

“Don’t worry, Prom. We’ll have plenty of fun.” Noctis assured her, watching the fight eagerly as the blonde girl beat back the onslaught of watermelon with turkey fists. The girl with a bow joined in, using two long loaves of bread as her weapons of choice. The blonde launched her turkeys towards the girl with the ponytail, who dived out of the way only to allow her blonde noodle of a comrade to get taken out by the turkeys to the face and gut. 

They watched as the green-eyed girl fought against the black-haired one with one baguette. The raven-haired one was quick, having a semblance that allowed her to do something akin to warping to dodge the blows of her opponent. The ponytail girl managed to fight back the girl with the bow and hit the blonde. Fortunately for them, the cape girl slid across the table using a tray as a skateboard, launching herself at the one with green eyes, knocking her down. The remaining boy and girl ran forward to join the fray once more, the boy slipping up as the white-haired girl covered the ground in ketchup. The orange haired girl only used the flying debris to make her way to the ceiling, using a rod stuck in a watermelon to create a weapon.

“That’s not fair!” cried Promptia. No one appeared to have heard her. The cape girl took a hit for the white-haired one, flying backwards from the strength of the self-proclaimed Queen’s blow. The white-haired one grabbed a swordfish, flying forward to knock her opponent back, who only rolled it off, diving back forward like it was nothing. 

“Where’d they get that?” wondered Noctis under her breath. There was a quick fight between the two, before the white-haired one was sent flying into a column, sending it crashing down. The one with a cape darted in, bring the girl to safety quicker than any imagined.

“Weiss! Weiss, don’t leave me! NO!” the one in the cape cried.

Ignis began to speak in a lowered tone, “Now’s our chance. Gladio, I need you to take the attention of the heaviest hitters-- the blonde and the self-proclaimed Queen. I’ll keep the attention of the others off you so you can focus on them. Promptia, your job is to take them out while Gladio has their attention. Do it quickly and decisively-- do  _ not  _ let their attention turn to you. Noct, you’re our secret weapon. Focus your attention for now on the girl with the hood-- she’s fast and creative, and you’ll be the best against her. Keep the warping a secret if you can-- we may need the surprise.”

“Yeah, he’s taking this way too seriously.” Promptia muttered to Gladio. 

“His coffee was a casualty.” said Gladio with a shrug, as if that explained everything. Which it did, Promptia supposed. 

Ignis took a breath as the blonde knocked out the boy with long hair, “Now, Gladio!” 

Gladio dived into the fray at the same moment the orange-haired girl did, picking up a discarded tray for a shield and a chair leg stuck in a side of meat as his weapons of choice. The blonde and the Queen were only taken aback for a moment before a three-way fight began in earnest. Ignis and Noct were close behind, Ignis taking on the green-eyed girl when she looked a little too interested with two carrots he found while Noct went for the girl with the hood with an ear of corn. 

The girl with a bow slipped through unnoticed, as Ignis suddenly found himself with a fight that was a little more difficult than previously anticipated. Promptia took a moment to consider, before picking up a milk box and throwing it her way. Gladio would be okay without her for awhile-- he could take a hit.

Promptia suddenly found herself running when the bow girl turned to her. Promptia was a ranged fighter and not made to get hit like Gladio the meat shield. 

“Ignis!” Promptia cried, searching for him and finding him with his hands full against his opponent, barely able to hold his own. Gladio was similarly engaged against his two. Promptia couldn’t even see where Noctis and the cape girl had gone. So, in a word, she was screwed. 

Promptia was knocked through a window, taken out of the fight. The blonde was thrown through the ceiling only seconds after, leaving Gladio to fight to orange-haired girl without distractions. The girl with the bow joined the battle between Ignis and the green-eyed girl, using soda cans as ammunition. Ignis just barely managed to dive out of the way as the green-eyed girl sent all of the soda cans in the room flying at the black-haired girl with her semblance. Gladio, however, didn’t have time to get out of the way and ended up taken out of the fight with the girl with the black bow. 

Noctis was distracted when Gladio went out, long enough that the girl with the cape could knock her into a pile of tables. Suddenly, the girl activated some sort of speed semblance to create a tornado of food. Noctis managed to warp out of it with a fork to the ceiling just in time, watching as everyone else was swept up in it, including Ignis.

“Now, Noct!” called Ignis as he and the others slammed into the other wall. The girl with the cape stuck her landing as the wind died, looking up only to see Noctis as she warped into her, slamming a pie in her face. 

Silence. 

Then the girl in the hood began laughing, licking the pie from around her mouth, “Mmm, strawberry.” 

The door slammed open, a strict looking teacher stomping in. Quickly she set the room to rights with telekinesis as the others gathered together, many beginning to giggle at the absurdity of it all. 

“Children, do  _ not _ play with your food.” said the woman through clenched teeth. It was that moment when the blonde fell back to the ground from where she’d been launched skyward earlier, only standing up and laughing as loudly as the rest. 

The blonde turned to Gladio, an easy smile lighting her face, “You fight well. I don’t think I’ve seen you around before. I’m Yang.” 

Gladio suddenly felt slightly nervous as he replied, “You did well, too. I’m-- I’m Gladio.” 

The orange-haired girl suddenly squealed, “That was so awesome! Did you see how they just came in-- and then she comes in with the pie and steals Ruby’s moment!” 

“I’m pretty impressive, I know.” said Noctis with a smirk. 

“Don’t kid yourself, princess. The impressive one here is me.” argued Gladio, “You just got a dramatic moment at the end, so what.” 

The girl with the cape interrupted, “So, uh, who are you? You guys are from one of the other schools, right?” 

Ignis shook his head, “No. We come from Lucis-- you’ve heard of it?”

The other kids nodded. 

“Well, I’m Noctis.” said the princess, “This is Ignis, Gladio, and Promptia.” 

The girl with the cape said, “Nice to meet you. I’m Ruby.” 

“Weiss.” said the white-haired girl.

The blonde said, “Yang!” 

“Blake.” sighed the girl with the bow. 

“Nora!” shouted the girl with the orange hair, “and this is my best friend Ren! That’s Pyrrha and Jaune. We should totally hang out sometime!” 

Noctis nodded, “Plan on it.” before turning to Ignis, “So, did we do well enough to satisfy you and your spilled coffee?” 

“My coffee has been adequately avenged.” said Ignis, “As long as someone gets me another cup, nothing terrible will happen.” 

The boy Ren commented, “I feel you.” 

“Well, do any of you happen to know of anywhere to get quality ingredients?” Ignis asked, a small smile creeping onto his face despite the lack of caffeine. Ren was the one who nodded, and the two of them were soon beginning the discussion of ingredients. 

Noctis rolled her eyes, before exchanging a look with Nora at the sudden eagerness in their friends as they began a discussion of their favorite recipes. 

“Nerds.” decided Nora, and Noctis agreed. “However, it’s forgiven if there are pancakes. You’ll make pancakes, right Ren?” 

Ren shrugged, but Nora’s squeal of excitement took the noncommittal response as a yes. 

“Your name was Noctis, right?” this was Weiss who spoke, coming to stand beside the girl, “Isn’t that the name of the current Princess in Lucis?” 

Noctis suddenly grew awkward, “Uh, yeah-- I, well…”

“What her highness means to say is, yes, she’s the princess.” Gladio interrupted, leaning against one of the tables. Everyone’s eyes were suddenly on Noctis, who stared at her shoes under the attention. 

“You’re a Princess? That’s-- wow.” said Jaune, breaking the silence. 

Noctis winced, “It’s not that big of a deal, really.”

“Well, how about we show you around town? If that’s alright, Noc-- ah, your highness?” this was Ruby who spoke, obviously unsure of exactly how she should speak to the princess. 

“Noctis or Noct is fine, and sure. We were going to head out anyway to get Ignis some ingredients so he can do some cooking for us.” said Noct. 

Nora jumped on her toes, saying, “Oh! Oh! Can we come, too? Please, Jaune, Ruby? The more the merrier, right?” 

“Uh, well we don’t have anything planned, so I guess.” replied Jaune with a shrug, “Well, might as well go, then.” 

“This sounds like a great best-day-ever event!” Ruby announced.

Weiss sighed, asking in a somewhat resigned voice, “So am I ever going to get my binder back?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I still am open to any ideas for a team name... please...   
> Also, fun fact: all the chapters titles are named after Crayola crayon colors.


	3. Blush

The tour they were given by teams RWBY and JNPR was helpful enough. At least, Promptia assumed it had been. Actually, she’d kind of gotten distracted by a puppy, and then there was this arcade… well, the moral of the story was that she’d lost the group, or actually she’d mostly lost herself. The group was probably in a very un-lost state, if Promptia had any guess. 

Well, Promptia decided, they could have all of the un-lost fun they wanted. She’d have fun, too, at least until she got hungry for Ignis’s cooking. At that point she would have probably re-found herself… emphasis on probably. 

At least Vale was pretty. Promptia could look at all of the shops for days, even if she didn’t have any of whatever currency this country had (the Lien, maybe? Haha, lie-in, Noct would like that one). Ignis probably had some, but all Promptia had was half a pack of gum and a coupon for an ice cream place back in Insomnia. In other words, she had nothing useful. 

She began whistling the theme music from one of the random video games she played with Noct, looking around at blue skies and busy streets. It had a cheerful edge to it that didn’t exist in Insomnia. It was quite the welcome change in Promptia’s mind, though she would be happy to return home eventually, once their crown-funded vacation was over. Well, it was called a ‘diplomatic mission’ or whatever but Promptia doubted she’d have much to do with that side of things. She mostly got to come along as a perk of being Noct’s friend, and the fact that there needed to be four of them to participate in the tournament. 

Well, Vale certainly wasn’t a place many people from Insomnia ever got to see. Might as well make the most of it. Remembering this, Promptia fished out her camera, figuring that some awesome pictures of the city wouldn’t hurt.

The blonde girl was so caught up in her photography that she didn’t notice the other figure until she ran straight into her, sending her falling back, right onto her butt. 

“Ow…” Promptia murmured, before turning to the person she’d run into, “I’m sorry about that, miss, uh--”

The words died in Promptia’s throat as her eyes came into contact with the most startling, almost glowing green eyes she’d ever seen. The eyes resided within an innocent, freckled face. Short orange hair curled partway down her neck, a pink bow peeking out at the sides. She was a bit on the tall side, short skirt and tall black boots with a stripe on the side emphasizing the length of her legs. 

She. Was. _ Cute.  _

Promptia’s brain short-circuited. 

“Are you okay?” asked the other girl, peering down at Promptia with those  _ eyes.  _ Promptia, who had already been rendered speechless for several long moments, went red. 

Her mouth was dry. Eventually she managed to say something that sounded vaguely like: “Yeah, I’m fine.” 

“Salutations! I’m Penny! I have to go now.” with that, cute-as-a-chocobo-chick Penny turned, beginning to walk away.

“Wait!” Promptia called after her, stumbling to her feet and nearly falling over in her haste. Penny didn’t stop walking, so Promptia ran to close the space. “I’m Promptia.” 

Penny didn’t stop walking. “Pleasure to meet you. May I ask why you seem to be following me, Promptia?” 

“Well…” the Lucian let out a nervous chuckle, “I’m kinda lost. I just got here yesterday and I lost my group because there was this dog, and then-- well, you get it. I should get back to Beacon before the others miss me, but I don’t know how. I was hoping that you might help me, please?” 

The girl’s pretty eyes widened, “You want me to show you how to get there?” 

“Yup!” Promptia replied.

Penny stopped for a moment, “Are you competing in the tournament?” 

Promptia nodded again, “Yeah, are you?” 

“I am.” Penny said. A pause, then, “I probably shouldn’t be talking to you.”

“Why? Because we might be fighting against each other? Don’t sweat it, we’re supposed to be improving diplomatic relationships or whatever. It’ll make Iggy happy if I’m out making friends, though he’ll call it something crazy like: ‘forging deeper bonds with our foreign brethren’.” Promptia said in what she’d like to think was a good imitation of the Advisor’s voice. She giggled, before continuing, “We’re technically on a diplomatic mission, you know, since Lucis doesn’t have the best relationship with all the other kingdoms and stuff.” 

Penny’s head tilted, “Lucis? So you’re the group that came from there, the one that should be including the Princess?” 

“Oh, you’ve heard?” said Promptia, before hastily adding, “Well, I’m not the Princess-- that’s Noct. I’m just her random plebe best friend she met in highschool.” 

Penny still had that cautious look on her face, looking over her shoulder several times as if she was doing something wrong. Promptia frowned, wondering what could be amiss.

Well, she knew of one subject change, “Say, would you mind if I took a picture of you? I’ve kinda been trying to take pictures to, you know, highlight our trip. Something to remember all of the fun times by, you know.”

There went that little head-tilt. Man, Promptia loved that. It kind of reminded her of a puppy, one of those cute puppies that would turn to you and just do the head tilt like: “Why aren’t you petting me?” Well, they probably weren’t thinking that but Promptia reserved the right to take creative liberty with her thoughts. 

“Am I a highlight of your trip, then?” 

That seemingly innocent question had Promptia ducking her head, going pink in the cheeks, “Uh, yeah, at least I think so.” 

“You really mean that?” at Promptia’s red-faced nod, the girl threw her arms in the air as if in celebration, “Sensational!” 

Promptia was done then and there. She was in the presence of the Goddess of Adorable and she was sure that at any minute she’d melt into a Promptia-puddle. She fumbled with her camera, finally snapping a few photos that she knew she’d treasure forever. 

“Uh, thanks. Sorry if that seemed… weird.” Promptia said, clasping her hands together. 

Penny shook her head enthusiastically, “Oh, not at all! I am honored to be a highlight of your trip here, Promptia!” 

_ Honored…  _ She  _ was honored…  _

If Noctis had been there Promptia totally would have swooned against her while the Princess just gave her that amused-yet-annoyed look she used when Promptia was being particularly ridiculous. As it was, she may have sighed, and swooned a tiny tad. Not a lot, and definitely not the theatrical swoon she wanted to perform, but a little swoon nonetheless. 

“So, um, what about you? I’ve been telling you stuff about me, but where are you from?” Promptia asked, trying to hide her blush. 

Penny replied, “My home is in Atlas, if that is what you’re asking.” 

“Atlas, Atlas…” Promptia said, trying to find words to add after that. It was hard to think with Penny walking next to her under the bright sky. A stray thought remarked that Penny’s smile could rival the sun in brightness. “What’s it like? It’s gotta be cold, that far north. I’m not that good with cold. Insomnia’s kinda right in the middle of a desert, so it’s normally pretty hot all the time.”

“I suppose the temperatures are quite low, though I never find myself feeling particularly uncomfortable.” said Penny. 

_ Talking about climate, really?  _ The voice sounded suspiciously like Noct,  _ how romantic. You’re a whole step up from talking about the weather.  _

_ Shut up. You aren’t any better at this!  _ Promptia retorted, before realizing that she was arguing with her own thoughts and taking two seconds to decide she didn’t really care. 

Noct’s voice had more to say, however,  _ How do you know?  _

_ Swept Ignis off his feet yet?  _ Promptia said innocently. At the silence that greeted the statement, Promptia gave a victorious grin and added,  _ Thought so. _

She relished the verbal victory all the more because it was so rare when arguing with the source of the voice. Especially because Noctis was often joined by Gladio and Ignis when the two were in attendance. However, Noct had been right about one thing-- climate talk was hardly romantic or interesting, unless you were weird or a nerd or both. Promptia doubted it would interest Penny, so she’d have to find a topic, and quickly. Already the silence was beginning to feel awkward, at least to her. She couldn’t say how Penny felt about it, but Promptia was used to filling silence with meaningless chatter about everything and nothing. It was a reflex, almost, a habit. 

“So, uh, how long have you been here?” Promptia asked for lack of other topics magically appearing in her mind. 

Penny answered, “Two months, one week, four days, eleven hours--”

“Woah, that’s really specific. You must have really good memory.” Promptia interrupted, inwardly cheering.  _ Compliments! Girls love compliments! Score! Beat that Noct! _

Penny paused, before saying, “No one ever compliments me. You’re very nice.” 

“Not really, no, I--” then Promptia paused, the first sentence hitting her like a truck. No one compliments her?! But-- but she’s a Goddess in the flesh! She’s the cutest thing in a bow Promptia had ever seen! 

“... No one compliments you? Ever? Why not?” Promptia’s voice was hesitant, unsure. Inwardly, she decided that she’d compliment Penny every chance she got in the future.

Penny shrugged, “Well, it’s just that no one seems to like to talk to me but Ruby, and I’m not supposed to talk to her anymore. Or, well, anyone.” 

Promptia stopped walking, nearly stopped breathing. Lonely days of feeling worthless swirled in her head. The idea of Penny having a life that was anything like the one Promptia had lived for her childhood made the photographer want to cry. Her hands clenched into fists. No. That would never happen, or it would stop right now. If Promptia had to drag the other girl back with her to Insomnia so she wouldn’t be alone, she’d do it.

“Why not? People should be falling over themselves to talk to you, to get to know you better. Why would nobody… It doesn’t make sense.” 

Penny was nothing like Promptia, after all. Promptia wasn’t that important, or special. She wasn’t strong, or brave, or smart, or skilled. She wasn’t cute or even all that attractive. 

“Do you really mean that, Promptia?” Penny asked, leaning forward.  _ Far _ forward. Like, right up in Promptia’s face forward. She lost the battle to hold back a blush before it even began, the proximity too much for her to handle. Penny’s eyes were big, pretty… Those freckles were cuter up close. 

Promptia tried to smile, laughing nervously as her hand came up to fix her hair, “Uh, yeah, of course I do. Wouldn’t have said it otherwise. Normally I’ll exaggerate instead of lie, well, most of the time… But this time I didn’t! I don’t lie to pretty girls!” 

The blonde went a red that could rival that hood Ruby wore. Mercifully, Penny allowed Promptia to edge back, regaining a little space so she could breathe properly again.

“Does that mean we’re friends?” asked Penny. 

Friends. Friends was a good word. Especially when Penny said it. Friends was also a starting place… not that Promptia had a candle’s chance around Shiva. 

“Of course.” Promptia said. The next instant saw her tackled to the ground in a hug, and her brain promptly ceasing all function, including breathing. Her heart probably stopped, too.

_ All systems shutting down. Red alert, we’ve experienced cuteness overload. Closed… permanently, probably. _

Oh, six. Arms wound around her, Penny’s face buried into the side of her neck. It was hard to think any sort of innocent thoughts, much less think at all, with the other girl wrapped around her like this. 

_ This is the end,  _ she thought,  _ Penny’s going to kill me and I’ll die the happiest girl alive.  _

“Uh--” since when had she begun breathing so fast, in quick little gasps? “Penny? Could you-- um, maybe let go? Not that I don’t-- well…” 

“Certainly.” Penny withdrew her arms, but otherwise didn’t move. She was still breathing right onto Promptia’s neck. She was still pressed against the blonde. Said blonde was still the red of Ruby’s hood (could blushes turn permanent?), struggling to form coherent thoughts, much less sentences. 

Promptia licked dry lips, “Can you, maybe, get up? The ground’s probably dirty, or, uh, something.” 

The other girl gracefully jumped to her feet, leaving Promptia to awkwardly find her feet again. Her heart was beating erratically against her chest. Penny’s smile didn’t help matters at all. 

Noct’s voice played in her head, using a teasing tone,  _ You’ve got it bad. _

“I know.” Promptia’s voice was a breathy whisper. She closed her eyes, swallowing once and repeating, “I know.” 

A deep breath. Then her eyes opened once more, meeting those beautiful green orbs. 

“Are you okay, Promptia? You’re red. Does that mean you’re sick?” asked Penny, beginning to walk once more. 

Promptia nodded, “Yeah, maybe. Something like that.”

“Then we better hurry you back so your teammates can take care of you.” Penny said, sounding serious, “I’ll make it my mission to see you safely to Beacon! You can count on me.” 

Six, Promptia would count on her for anything she asked with a flash of that smile. “I, uh, I trust you to get me back, then.” 

Penny giggled, “Stupendous! Let’s hurry.” 

The green-eyed girl grabbed Promptia’s hand, beginning to rush through the crowd. Promptia made a startled noise, her brain short-circuiting again and her thought trains all crashing and falling into the abyss. This girl was bound to give Promptia a heart attack. 

_ Amend that.  _ Promptia thought, eyes locked on the intertwined fingers,  _ She’ll give me several. I’m destined to die of heart failure before I’m twenty one. _

Penny saw her to the airships before letting go of her hand, “I’ll have to leave you here, Promptia. It’s been a pleasure talking to you, but… I’m not supposed to talk to people. I don’t want to get you in trouble, so you shouldn’t talk to me again.” 

As she began walking away again, Promptia dived forward, grabbing Penny’s wrist, “No! I… I want to talk to you again. I’m always in trouble, it’ll be fine. Please, Penny?” 

Penny looked down at her hands. They clenched into fists as she said, “We shouldn’t. I shouldn’t even be out now, or talking to you.” 

“I don’t care! I’ve done worse with Noct.” Promptia argued, desperate to see those eyes again, that smile. “After all, that’s what friends do. They do stupid shit and then get out of it together so they can laugh about it later.” 

“Okay. But I should go. I’ll talk to you at a later time, Promptia.” Penny said. Promptia let her go this time, watching her form disappear into the crowd. Once she was gone, Promptia let out a sigh, hand going to her heart. She could practically feel it falling into the depths of true love. She would never call anything else cute ever again. 

When she returned, she threw open the dorm room, taking in three surprised faces. Before any of them could say anything, she swooned onto one of the beds, staring dreamily up at the ceiling.

“I’m in love.” she informed the others, hands going to her heart, “A Goddess came and stole my heart for her own.” 

Three sighs in unison, followed by, “Oh, Six.” 

A beat, then Noctis added, “Not  _ again _ .”


End file.
